SANCTIFICATION 






WHY, WHEN, HOW. 



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•OF- 



Sanctification 



•BY- 



Rev. Charles W. Dane, 



PASTOR AND EVANGELIST 



Ille^^e^e^iS^ 



The Christian Witness Company 

^J^ CHICAGO AND BOSTON ^Jt 

1904 



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LIBRaKV '.f CONGf^ESS 
I Two Copses Received 

MAR 28 1904 

Capynght Efttry 
rW.-CKA^. 1 i - ' ci o ^ 
CLASS Oy xXa No. 

COPY 8 






Copyright, 1904 

Christian Witness Co. 



PREFACE. 



One of the most hopeful omens of the present 
day is that multitudes of Christian people are 
''hungering and thirsting after righteousness'' — 
the recognition of the need of a "deeper work of 
grace." 

It is our Savior himself who says. "Blessed are 
they which do hunger and thirst after righteous- 
ness : for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6). Ac- 
cording to Dean Alford, the term ''righteousness" 
here means "purity of heart.' To such as hunger 
after purity, "they shall be filled." 

To do good, to feed the hungry, to glorify God, 
and to obey my Lord and Master, these are my 
reasons for writing. 

Hoping and praying that all who peruse these 
pages shall receive and enjoy the precious expe- 
rience inculcated, I send it forth. 

Charles W. Dane. 

San Bernardino, Cal., Oct. 2, 1903. 



CONTENTS 



I. What is Sanctification ? 

II. Why of Sanctification? 

III. When of Sanctification ? 

IV. What is Sin? 

V. The All-Cleansing Blood. 

VI. The Act of Consecration. 

VII. What Are We to Consecrate? 

VIII. The How of Sanctification. 

IX. Holiness an Absolute Necessity. 

X. Obedience : The Test of Our Sincerity. 
XL In Essentials Unity — In Details Diversity. 
XII. Sanctification, How Kept? 



Why, When and How ! 



CHAPTER I. 

WHAT IS SANCTIFICATION? 

For many years this precious truth has been 
the cause of much discussion. It has received 
some ve,ry friendly criticism'. It has also received 
some very unfriendly criticism. A good part of 
this is no doubt due to a lack of understanding 
of the truth of sanctification. And yet, the harsh- 
ness of some toward this precious truth has so 
prejudiced other minds that we hear them say: 
"I do not believe in sanctification." I do not 
think that this is true. It is a lack of understand- 
ing as to what constitutes the experience of sanc- 
tification. Instead of saying : "I do not believe in 
sanctification," I think it w^ould be far better to 
say, "I do not understand the meaning of sanc- 
tification ; therefore, I do not know what to be- 
lieve." 

In searching for the truth, of whatever phase, 
certain conditions of mind are necessary. This is 



6 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

true of science, philosophy, history, or religion. 
One supreme desire should possess the truth- 
seeker : '1 will know the truth whatever the cost." 
The mind must be unbiased and unprejudiced. 
And, in this state it must remain. 

The Bible is the Christian's guide. If the Bi- 
ble teaches the truth of sanctification, and that it 
is possible to receive, enjoy, and live the precious 
experience now, then, no Christian can afford to 
be without it. More than this, it becomes every 
Christian's bounden duty to seek until they ob- 
tain and enjoy the precious experience. First, 

I. Wliat is not Sanctification? 

Sanctification is not ''cranktification." This 
term was coined by one of the Methodist, bish- 
ops. Presuming the thought he had in mind was 
to correct an erroneous idea abroad concerning 
the precious experience, I too, say, this is not sanc- 
tification. That there is crankism and fanaticism 
on the subject, no one will doubt. There never 
has been a good thing which has not been abused. 
But, because good things are abused, is this suffi- 
cient reason for not receiving the ''good things ?" 
Sanctification, in its entirety, is the most precious 
legacy of God's children. 

Again, Sanctification is not self-glorification. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 7 

''Stand by thyself ; for I am more holy than thou'' 
(Isa. 65: 5), is the spirit sometimes manifested. 
But, such a feeling is incompatible with the expe- 
rience of 'Tull Salvation/' A high opinion of 
one's self, his attainments, and possessions, is not 
Christ-likeness. The truly sanctified man is an 
humble man. True sanctification walks hand in 
hand with humility. Andrew Murray, in that 
beautiful little volume, ''Humility, the Beauty of 
Holiness," expresses the truth. He says : "The 
great test of the sanctification we pro- 
fess to seek or attain, will be, whether it be mani- 
fest in the increasing humility it produces." He 
continues : "Humility is the bloom and beauty of 
holiness." This is Christ-likeness — the Spirit of 
Jesus. 

Further. Sanctification is not sanctimonious- 
ness. Some good people seem to have an im- 
pression that, to be pleasant, look pleasant, and 
shine for Jesus, as Stephen did, is a sin. And so, 
they think: "If I become entirely sanctified, I 
must wear a face as long as my arm." There is 
sometking called "sanctified common sense," and 
when people get that, they will not be troubled 
with "long faces." The Christian life is a happy 
life. And the truly sanctified person is the hap- 



8 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

piest mortal on earth ! His soul is filled with ''joy 
unspeakable and full of glory" (I. Pet. i : 8). 

II. What, then, is Sanctification ? 

Dr. Noah Webster, author of the Dictionary 
which bears his name, is no mean theologian. He 
says : ''Sanctification is the act of God's grace by 
which the affections of men are purified, and ex- 
alted to a supreme love of God.'' You can not 
find a clearer or more concise definition. Where 
did he get his thought ? From Christ's teaching, 
and the teaching of the Apostles. Note, the 
change is in the affections — in the heart; these 
are purified, and exalted to love God and man, 
and "so fulfill the law of Christ." 

The late Dr. Robinson, who was for a number 
of years a professor in Andover Theological Sem- 
inary, in his Greek-English Lexicon, says : "The 
word sanctification in the New Testament sense 
means, purity of heart and life." 

A unique definition was given by Dr. George 
C. Lorimer, now of New York City. He says : 
"It is every day morality, inspired by the love 
of God in the heart." 

Now, putting these authorities together, we 
may affirm : Sanctification is that act of God's free 
grace whereby the soul is purified from sin, and 



OF SANCTIFICATION 9 

filled with pure love. It enables its possessor to 
have continual victory over every inward and 
every outward sin while he trusts in Christ. Man 
still has temptation, but is ''more than conqueror 
through him who hath loved us'' (Rom. 8: 37). 
Such a state of grace is perfectly compatible with 
our conditions and circumstances here below. 

And, is it not a desirable state ? Is it not worth 
''seeking with all the heart ?" Open your heart to 
the teaching of the Divine Spirit, and let him 
"guide you into all truth" (John 16 : 13). 



10 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

CHAPTER II. 

SANCTIFICATION: WHY?'' 

There are several reasons why every Christian 
should seek, and obtain, and enjoy, and live the 
experience of ''entire sanctification." 

First — It forever settles the fact, that the per- 
son is a child of God. A person who has been 
entirely sanctified may backslide ; but he can 
never have any doubt but what he has once 
been saved. It is the privilege of every person 
who accepts Christ as his Savior to know he 
is a child of God. St. Paul says: 'The Spirit 
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we 
are the children of God'' (Rom. 8: i6). Yet the 
fact is, while at times that person may have that 
consciousness, he has many days when he doubts 
his being saved. He asks: 

"Am I saved? or am I not?'' 

But when a person receives the experience 
of "entire sanctification," all doubt disappears. 
The question of his soul's salvation is settled. 
He is "filled with all the fulness of God'' (Eph. 

3 • 19). 



OF SANCTIFICATION 11 

And this is also true : The entirely sanctified 
reaHze as none other the absolute necessity of 
depending on the merits of Christ's blood. Such 
are far from being self-righteous. He rests all 
his hopes upon Christ. 'They that trust in the 
Lord/' in this sense, ''shall be as mount Zion, 
which cannot be removed, but abideth forever'' 
(Ps. 125: i). The fully saved person says: 

"Every moment, Lord, I need 
The merit of thy death." 

Again : This experience is the great antidote 
for backsliding. It is possible to backslide from 
any state of grace. Yet, the fact is, few who 
have been entirely sanctified have backslidden. 
The real cause of so many backsliders in the 
world is the fact that they have not gone on 
and received the experience of pentecost. Every 
person who really has it has something in the 
soul that is better, grander, more blessed, yea, 
that is transcendently more glorious than this 
world can give ! Why, then, should he turn 
back? Bless you; it is blessed, sweet and pre- 
cious to be fully saved ! "Christ is able to keep 
you from falling, and to present you faultless 
before the presence of his glory with exceeding 
joy" (Jude 24). 



12 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

When a person is in the experience of ''entire 
sanctification'' he develops more rapidly in the 
Christian graces. ''Grow in grace'' is a divine 
command (11. Peter 3 : 18). Note it is not "Grow 
into grace/' No intelligent farmer thinks of 
trying to grow grain from the atmosphere into 
the soil. He sows his seed in the soil and the 
grain grows in the soil and out into the atmos- 
phere. And this is the law of grace. You can- 
not grow into (though you may progress to- 
ward) the grace of Regeneration; neither can 
you grow into (though you may progress) the 
grace of "entire sanctification." But you can 
grow in grace after you have got into grace. In 
sanctification all obstructions to rapid growth are 
removed. The weeds, so to speak, are pulled 
up by the roots. And we are continually re- 
freshed with the "Water of Life." If you desire 
to take rapid strides in the Divine life; if you 
desire to become a strong, stalwart "live oak" 
Christian, by all means seek, obtain, live and 
enjoy the experience of "entire sanctification!" 
This will make you "strong in the Lord, and in 
the power of his might" (Eph. 6: 10). 

Further : The entirely sanctified are very cer- 
tain, as a result of their experience, to be use- 



OF SANCTIFICATION 13 

ful in helping souls to Christ. This was true of 
the disciples on the day of pentecost, and ever 
after that memorable experience. And this has 
been true of all, or nearly all, who have had this 
precious experience. The thing which produced 
the great Methodist revival was the fact that the 
people had the ''Methodist fire!' It was be- 
cause the people were, many of them, sancti- 
fied wholly. The preachers were '^flaming torch- 
es,'' as Bishop Taylor has been called. And the 
thing needed to-day to save the church, and 
through it to save the world, is that our people 
seek until they obtain, and live, the experience 
of "entire sanctification !" The secret of the 
rapid growth of the church in the early days 
was : She ''walked in the fear of the Lord, and 
in the comfort of the Holy Ghost." She was 
"edified," and, consequently, "multipHed" (Acts 
9:31). For the satisfaction which it brings to 
one's own heart, and for the sake of the needy all 
about us, we should be sanctified wholly. 

The last reason for seeking this experience 
that I will mention is: "Without sanctification 
no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12: 14). It 
may be clearly seen : While this experience is 
a blessed, blood-bought privilege, it is also an 



14 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

absolute necessity for every child of Adam, who 
enters heaven. No person can get within those 
''pearly gates'' who has not been either volun- 
tarily or involuntarily sanctified, wholly. Every 
responsible person who has heard it preached, 
who has received light on the subject, is under 
obligation to seek until he finds the experience. 
Such a person will voluntarily receive it or forfeit 
his relationship with God. ''But what about the 
multitudes of people who never have heard 
about it, and the many who have received it, but^ 
did not know what to call it?'' 

The Lord will take care of them. You need 
not worry about them. You take care of your- 
self, and help others into the same precious ex- 
perience. The blood of Christ has been shed. 
And every irresponsible person— infants, heath- 
en, and such as have not had the light — will be 
involuntarily sanctified wholly through the mer- 
its of Christ's death. "The blood of Jesus Christ, 
God's Son, cleanseth from all sin" (I. John 1:7). 
But, remember ! you are under obligation always 
and under all considerations, to "walk in the light 
as he is in light to have fellowship one with the 
other," and to realize "the blood of Jesus Christ 
his Son cleanseth from all sin." 



OF SANCTIFICATION 15 

I have mentioned only a few of the reasons 
why you should seek the experience of ''entire 
sanctification/' I have mentioned enough to 
show you must have this experience in order to 
get the most out of this life and the life which 
is to come. 



16 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 



CHAPTER III. 

"SANCTIFICATION : WHEN ?" 

The Scriptures are very explicit in their teach- 
ing on this point. And the Scriptures constitute 
our only correct rule of faith and practice. 

*This is the will of God, even your sanctifica- 
tion," says the Great Apostle (I. Thess. 4:3). 
If a legacy has been left us, we want to receive 
it. We want to know what are the conditions; 
and what are its limitations. ''Must I wait in 
anxiety till the far-ofif future for the realization of 
my high anticipations? Or, is it possible, not 
only to know what the will includes, but to receive 
my legacy now ?'' Such questions occupy the hon- 
est inquirer's mind. The returned colored mis- 
sionary, Amanda Smith, once said : 'T will have 
what belongs to me, or I will break the will V I 
sincerely hope, my reader, that you have a similar 
determination. 

It is a fact long since known : What is divinely 
commanded, is made divinely possible. The com- 
mand is : ''Be ye holy, for I am holy'' (I. Peter i : 
16). Not in the absolute sense, but in a Umited 



OF SANCTIFICATION 17 

sense; not in quantity, but the same in quality. 
We are to be like God in our moral natures. This 
command is in the present tense. It refers to peo- 
ple living under our conditions to-day. 

Then, God promises to do this work for us, 
and to do it now. 'T," God says, ''will circum- 
cise thine heart to love the Lord thy God, with 
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all 
thy mind, that thou mayest live" (Deut. 306). 
People say : ''O, I can't be sanctified wholly ! It 
isn't for me. God won't give me this experience." 
Every person who meets the Divinely revealed 
conditions always has the consciousness that his 
heart is ''circumcised." This promise — every 
phrase in it — is in the present tense. "Now is the 
.accepted time; behold, now is the day of salva- 
tion" (11. Cor. 6: 2). 

Again, Inspired prayers have been offered to 
.this end. 

"Create in me a clean heart, O God," cried Da- 
vid, "and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51 : 
10). David caught a clear glimpse of his own 
heart. The thing which upset him was the re- 
maining sin in his heart. When he was made to 
realize the true condition of his heart, his prayer 
went to the depths of his need. 



18 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

Epaphras, a co-laborer with St. Paul, labored 
fervently in prayers for the members of the 
Church at Colosse — for those who were true 
Christians: 'That they might stand perfect and 
complete in all the will of God'' (4 : 12) . If sanc- 
tification is ''-the will of God'' — and who can doubt 
it ? — a person must receive the experience in order 
to ''stand perfect and complete in all the will of 
God." 

Under immediate inspiration, St. -Paul prayed 
for the Thessalonians. These people were true 
Christians. He says : "Ye are ensamples unto all 
that believe in Macedonia and Achaia." "Your 
faith to God-ward is spread abroad" (i: 7, 8). 
From the Epistle itself, we learn: These people 
were exemplary Christians. And yet, the Apos- 
tle prays. "And the very God of peace sanctify 
you wholly ; and I pray God your whole spirit and 
soul and body be preserved blameless unto the 
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" (5 : 23). This 
experience was needed to "perfect that which was 
lacking in their faith" (3 : 10). 
- The most beautiful, and the sublimest prayer 
ever offered in behalf of others is that offered by 
our blessed Savior. Read the seventeenth chap- 
ter of St. John's Gospel. Permit that prayer to 



OF SANCTIFICATION 19 

be answered, and you are sanctified wholly. Hear 
him: 'Tather, sanctify them through thy truth; 
thy word is truth. I pray not for the world, but 
for them thou hast given me. I pray not that 
thou shouldest take them out of the world, but 
that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Nei- 
ther pray I for these alone, but for them also 
which shall believe on me through their word'' 
(verses 17, 9, 15, 20). Mark you, Christ prays, 
not that the Father should take the disciples "out 
of the world,'' but that they may be "kept from the 
evil that is in the world" — -the present world. He 
prays that they may be sanctified wholly. And, 
he not only prays for the twelve, but for "all that 
shall believe on him through their word." That 
includes every Christian, everywhere. It includes 
you; it includes me. 

Thousands upon thousands have lived, enjoyed, 
and died in the triumphs of this blessed experi- 
ence. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, 
David, the Apostles, the Christian Fathers, the 
Wesleys, Whitefield, Fletcher, Coke, Asbury, 
Whatcoat, Peck, Foster, Joyce, and what shall I 
more say? These men testified; others had con- 
fidence in them ; they had received the blessing of 
'TuU Salvation." 



20 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

Now, from the nature of the commands, prom- 
ises, prayers, experiences and testimonies of God's 
people — the purest people of earth — we are forced 
to this conclusion : We may receive this ''Heritage 
of Faith" now, in this life, when we comply with 
the conditions. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 21 

CHAPTER IV. 

WHAT IS SIN? 

The greater part of the existing prejudice to 
the experience and life of holiness is from a lack 
of understanding concerning the nature of sin. 
According to the teaching of the Bible, sin 
exists in two forms : 

I. The first form, to use a theological term, is 
^'Original sin/' 

It is the state in which man is born. It is 
the consequence of the fall of man. Such is 
the teaching of the Psalmist: ''Behold, I was 
shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother 
conceive me'' (51:5). Again, 'The wicked are 
estranged from the womb; they go astray as 
soon as they be born" (58: 3). And Christ says, 
"That \Vhich is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 
3:6). These passages give us the sense of the 
Bible's teaching on this subject. The truth is 
simple and clear, we are born into the world 
with a bias toward sin. 

This is, and always has been, the teaching of 
Methodism. The framer of her "Articles of Re- 
ligion" simply transferred the Seventh Article 



22 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

from the Church of England, omitting just one 
clause. It reads, ''Original sin standeth not in 
the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do 
vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the nature 
of every man that naturally is engendered of the 
offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone 
from original righteousness, and of his own 
nature inclined to evil, and that continually." 

And such is the undeniable fact of human con- 
sciousness. This is something that ten thousand 
arguments cannot gainsay. We are not born 
sinners. Do not misunderstand me. A sinner 
is a person who sins. But, when we came to 
years of understanding, did we not feel an in- 
ward inclination toward sin? To be sure, there 
was a drawing that way. But, like the Indian, 
who, in giving his experience, said, ''I find with- 
in me two Indians," so was our experience. And 
the evil tendency was stronger than the good. 
This "original sin" is the cause, while actual 
sins is the effect. From the Scriptures, the 
teaching of the church, and human experience, 
the fact is affirmed. We are born with a bias to- 
ward sin. 

2. The second form of sin is Actual Trans-' 
gressions. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 23 

The Bible has much to say on this point. St. 
John says, "Sin is the transgression of the law'' 
(I. John 3:4). But St. Paul says, "Where there 
is no law, there is no transgression'' (Rom. 
4: 15). Taking the general trend of Scripture 
into consideration, we are forced to this con- 
clusion: Sin is a wilful transgression of God's 
law. No person can thoughtfully read the third 
chapter of St. John's First Epistle without 
adopting this definition of a sin. If people would 
get this point settled in their minds, they would 
have very little difficulty in believing in and 
receiving the higher experiences of the Christian 
life. 

John Wesley was no mean theologian. He 
gives us a definition of a sin which perfectly 
harmonizes with the Scriptures. He says, "Sin 
is a voluntary transgression of a known law." 
He is speaking of sin as an act, not as a condi- 
tion. He. is speaking of the effect, not the cause. 
Before it 'can be called a sin, in any proper or 
Scriptural sense, the law must be known by the 
person desiring to transgress. "Where there is 
no law there is no transgression" (Rom. 4: 15). 

The Calvinistic definition for a sin is, "Any 
want of conformity to the law of God." Now, 



24 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

accepting this tenet, no person can live with- 
out committing sin. A person, in order to con- 
form perfectly to the law of God, must have 
perfect knowledge. And who, with a thimble- 
ful of common sense, pretends to have perfect 
knowledge? And yet we believe with all our 
heart, that there are many who, accepting the 
Calvinistic definition for a sin, do not in reality 
commit sin. By the grace of Gk>d their hearts 
are better than their heads ! 

We once knew a good deacon. He was a 
grand man. On account of his age, he reminded 
one of the old patriarchs. His life was a bene- 
diction to the community. One day he was 
asked, ^^Deacon, do you ever sin?" "Yes,^' he 
replied, ''I sin every day." But the fact is, you 
could not find anybody in the town that believed 
the deacon sinned. He accepted the Calvinistic 
definition for a sin. 

Such a definition of a sin is objectionable on 
these grounds. It confounds infirntities with 
sins. The great majority of people have not a 
correct idea of the meaning of the term ''in- 
firmity." It means ''weakness." It is wholly un- 
like sin in its nature. St. Paul says, "I speak 
after the manner of men, because of the infirm- 



OF SANCTIFICATION 25 

ity (weakness, R. V.) of your flesh" (Rom. 6: 19). 
The sixth chapter of Romans is a classic on the 
experience and Hfe of holiness. The inspired 
Apostle speaks of their ''infirmities/' and then 
he tells these very same people that they are 
"free from sin.'' In the twenty-second verse we 
read, ''But now being made free from sin (pres- 
ent tense), and become servants to God, ye have 
your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting 
life." What could be plainer? They had "in- 
firmities," yet were "free from sin." 

Dr. Daniel Steele, late professor of systematic 
theology, in Boston University, has some clear 
thought on this point. He is a recognized au- 
thority on the "deep-things of God." He says, 
"There are old residents in this country (the 
body) who are by no means favorites with me, 
and I cut their acquaintance as much as possi- 
ble, such as ignorance, forgetfulness, misjudg- 
ment, error, inadvertence, and a whole family 
by the name of ignorance. "In fact," he says, "I 
continually cast my vote against them, but they 
insist that they have a right to remain, since 
no statute lies against them. . . . Hence I 
live at peace with these old residents, but do not 



26 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

delight in their company/''*' Infirmities and 
sins must not be confounded. A sin is a wilful 
transgression of the law. 

From the BibJe, and from human experience — 
which confirms the truth of the Bible — it may 
be clearly seen sin exists in two forms, namely, 
original and actual — one is a bias toward evil, 
while the other is the commission of the act 
which we know is wrong. 



^Milestone Papers. 



OF SANCTinCATION 27 

CHAPTER V. 

THE ALL-CLEANSING BLOOD. 

Henry Ward Beecher once said : "The thought 
of blood never did me the least good in the world. 
The idea of blood is not to my taste ; it pertains 
to the old sacrifices * * * I do not like that 
text : The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth 
us from all sin/ " To the ears of Mr. Beecher's 
listeners, these words were like throwing a lot of 
water on a fire before it was fairly started. To 
ignore the blood is to ignore Christ ; and to ig- 
nore Christ, and to trample upon his precious 
blood, is to be guilty of the highest contempt for 
the Father's love ! 

Across the Atlantic runs a cable covered with a 
red covering. This covering distinguishes it from 
the other cables as being the property of Great 
Britain. The careful Bible student realizes this 
fact: Like as the red cable runs across the At- 
lantic, so is there a red cable which runs from 
cover to cover of the Bible — from Genesis to Rev- 
elation. The Bible is a Book that has to do with 
blood as the only remedy for that blackest of mal- 
adies — sin. 



28 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

In the Blood of Christ is found Forgiveness of 
Sins. "By the grace of God, Christ tasted death 
for every man'' (Heb. 2:9). While, on the other 
hand, ''Without the shedding of blood there is no 
remission" (9: 22). If it had been possible to 
save man from his sins in any other way, would 
not the All- Wise God have done so ? Would not 
the agonizing cry of the Son of God have been 
heard? Surely, since God declares it impossible, 
it does not become us as finite, weak, and ignorant 
creatures to contradict ! Herein is seen love con- 
summate. 

In the Blood of Christ is found Cleansing from 
Sin. 

The Bible avers: "Wherefore Jesus also, that 
he might sanctify the people with his own blood, 
suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13: 12). The 
Cross on Calvary is the place of suffering "with- 
out the gate." Here, Jesus shed his precious 
blood that we might be cleansed from sin. Again, 
we read, "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, 
and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, 
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; how much 
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the 
Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to 
God, purge your conscience from dead worlds to 



OF SANCTIFICATION 29 

serve the living God?'' (Heb. 9: 13, 14). To 
''purge" is to purify or cleanse. It is the removal 
of all obstructions to whole-hearted service. And 
this, the writer says, is accomplished through the 
merits of Christ's blood. 

St. John caught a glimpse of the saints in Par- 
adise. ''What are these arrayed in white 
robes? and whence came they?" asked an angel. 
"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest." "And 
he said unto me, St. John continues, "These are 
they which came up out of great tribulation, and 
have washed their robes, and made them white 
in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7: 13, 14). 
Where did they have their great tribulation?" 
Was it not on earth ? Where did they wash "their 
robes and make them white in the blood of the 
Lamb?" Was it not on earth? Yes, on earth, 
the same place where they had their "great tribu- 
lation." Not in the purgatorial fires ; not in the 
article death ; but in the "blood of the Lamb," is 
the possibility of cleansing from sin ! 

Much is said to-day about "walking in Jesus' 
steps." It is a beautiful thought, correctly un- 
derstood. But, when a person undertakes to walk 
in Christ's steps without the "walk" in him, so to 
speak, he is sure to fail. We once heard a preach- 



30 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

er say : ''Christ was nothing, and did nothing, but 
what any one may be or do, if we follow his ex- 
ample/' That doctrine made the devil just shake 
with laughter ! But, it made the angels weep 
with sorrow. They could not help ceasing to 
chant their glorious anthems to listen to such 
words from a Methodist preacher ! Christ is the 
supreme example ; but, if this is all he is, we may 
as well cover our eyes in despair, and go down to 
the lowest hell without a possibility of escape! 
Christ is the Redeemer ! Christ is man's Savior ! 
And, as such, he can "save us from sin" — its 
guilt and power. Through his precious shed 
blood we may be made ''like him." 

But, we may as well try to jump over the 
moon as to think of following in Jesus' steps be- 
fore we are made "like him !" 

Through the Blood of Christ we gain Victory 
over Satan. 

The Bible makes this fact clear also. The in- 
spired Apostle says: "And they overcame him 
(that is, the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, 
and the word of their testimony" (Rev. 12: 11). 
Satan flees from the person that dares testify in 
his face that, "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son 
cleanseth us from all sin" (I. John i : 7) 



OF SANCTIFICATION 31 

Martin Luther's combat with Satan is famiHar 
to all. The Evil One came to him with a parch- 
ment roll, upon which was recorded Luther's sins. 
Satan said to him: "Are you not guilty of this 
sin?" ''Yes/' said he. ''Are you not guilty of that 
sin?" and he pointed out one after another. And 
so, down he went through the list, questioning Lu- 
ther concerning each sin, to which the warrior 
assented. "Now," said Satan, "is not that a per- 
fect list?" "Yes," replied the man of many bat- 
tles, "that is a perfect list with one exception ; you 
want to write underneath all those sins these 
words, 'The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans- 
eth from all sin ;' that will perfect the list." Lu- 
ther tells us, "Satan took his flight." Thus will 
it be with every person who will confide in the 
blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ is ef- 
fectual in the hour of temptation. 

But, we cannot forbear going one step further. 
Through the Blood of Christ we. may have a Tri- 
umphant Death. 

Every person who comes down to death's door, 
trusting implicitly in the merits of Christ's blood, 
is triumphant. He hears the blessed chorus: 
"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our 
sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings 



32 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

and priests unto God and his Father; to him be 
glory and dominion forever and ever'' (Rev. i : 
5,6). 

Wherever known, Alfred Cookman was con- 
sidered one of God's saints. 'The Blood of 
Christ" was his favorite theme. He lived ''unde** 
the blood." His entire dependence for salva- 
tion was on the blood of Christ. When he came 
down to death's door there was no fear, no dread, 
no darkness. It was light, triumph, and glory. 
* 'Victory ! victory ! victory ! - I'm sweeping 
through the gates, washed in the blood of the 
Lamb !" he shouted, as his soul took its flight 

O, beloved ! The blood of Christ is sin's rem- 
edy. Through faith in its merits we find forgive- 
ness, cleansing, victory over Satan, and triumph 
in death! Trust, then, in the blood of Christ 
whatever betide ! 



OF SANCTIFICATION 33 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE ACT OF CONSECRATION. 

''Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small ; 

Love so amazing, so Divine — 

Demands my soul, my life, my all/' 

This is the language of every person's heart 
who desires to be what God wants him to be. 
It is the spirit which permeates and actuates the 
person who is "all the Lord's." 

We hear a great deal in these days about con- 
secration. We talk about it; we sing about it; 
and we hold meetings for ''consecration." Some 
of the present day teaching is reasonable, logical, 
and scriptural; but, on the other hand, much of 
the teaching is unreasonable, illogical, and un- 
scriptural. A more timely subject, therefore, 
could not be considered. 

What is consecration? The definition of the 
Dictionary is : "Consecration is a separation from 
a common to a sacred use." It is applied in this 
sense to furniture, utensils, temple, and priest. 
But, it is more than a "separation;" it means a 



34 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

"dedication/' and a ''continual devotement" to the 
cause. 

The ancient priest's ''Consecration Service" has 
its lesson for us. The sacrifice was slain by 
Aaron. "Moses took of the blood of it, and put 
it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon 
the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great 
toe of his right foot" (Lev. 8: 23). The same 
order was observed in the consecration of Aaron's 
sons. What did all this signify? It signified 
that the person thus consecrated was "all the 
Lord's." > 

The ears of the priest were to be ever open to 
hear the messages from the throne of God. 

The hands of the priest were to be used only 
in the service of God. To minister in the sanc- 
tuary; to offer up sacrifices; to minister to the 
people's needs; to serve God by serving man; 
this was the office of the priest. 
! The priest's feet likewise belonged to God. 
They were used to run in God's ways ; to march 
at his command; to walk carefully before him; 
and to do errands of mercy. The service, as a 
whole, signified that the whole man belonged to 
God — to be used by him to his own honor and 
glory. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 35 

In the New Testament, all believers are recog- 
nized as belonging to the priesthood. In writing 
of Christians in general, St. Peter says : "Ye are 
a royal priesthood'' (2: 9). In the light of the 
New Testament, then, what is the lesson of the 
ancient ''Consecration Service?'' It is the fact 
that every behever in Jesus Christ, should be "all 
the Lord's." 

Now, notice more particularly the act of the 
Christian's consecration. 

In the first place, there is no such thing as "Re- 
consecration." The term itself is contradictory. 
The fact involved in consecration, according to 
the teaching of the Bible, is that it is one deliber- 
ate, intelligent act, done once for all, for time and 
for eternity. The purpose in such a consecration 
is to receive a definite experience — the blessing 
of "Entire Sanctification." A consecration with 
anything less in view is unscriptural, a farce, and 
a mockery of God. This may seem like strong 
language; but, like Luther, "I wish I could 
breathe out lightning, and that every word were 
a thunderbolt," which I speak concerning this 
matter! Why? Because of the untold harm 
that has been wrought by the teaching on the line 
of "Re-consecration." 



36 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

Much that passes to-day for consecration is 
nothing but child's play. It reminds us of a lit- 
tle personal experience. The 'Tarson'' called on 
one of his parishioners. In the home was a child 
of a year old. Apples were passed around. The 
little ''tot'' passed the 'Tarson" her apple. But, 
it was only a little while before she reached up her 
hand to take it again. This she kept doing, first 
passing it to the 'Tarson" and then taking it 
again. The lesson of that little incident was in- 
delibly impressed upon the writer's mind. The 
lesson was, Such is much of the consecration of 
the present day — child's play. 

In the marital relation, we have a scriptural 
illustration of consecration. When a couple are 
married, they solemnly vow ''to love, honor, and 
keep, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all 
other, keep only unto each other, so long as they 
both shall live." When the nuptial knot is tied, 
according to the "Ordinance of God," it is done 
for life. Now, if that same couple kept wanting 
to be married every month, what would you think 
of them? You would look upon it as an ab- 
surdity ! The truly married couple are "entirely 
consecrated" to each other. And the man and 
woman that is not willing to be "entirely conse- 



OF SAXCTIFICATION 37 

crated'' to the other has no right to enter the holy 
estate of matrimony. And what appHes to the 
marital relation applies to the Christian who real- 
ly consecrates himself to God — he is consecrated 
entirely for life ! 

We once knew a good practical Christian broth- 
er. He owned a ''furniture moving" business. 
His health failing, he sold out. Everything was 
included in the sale — horses, wagons, pungs, har- 
nesses, papers, charts, etc. About a year after 
the transaction the good brother found some pa- 
pers, charts, and other things of value, which 
were included in the sale. He thought to him- 
self, 'Those things do not belong to me. They 

are the property of Mr. B ." He took these 

valuables to their rightful owner. From this 
simple illustration we may learn the lesson that 
after we have entirely consecrated ourselves, and 
our all, to Christ, there are things which will come 
: up, until with Abraham we are called to give up 
Tsaac. Now, instead of "re-consecrating,'' we 
say, "That thing belongs to Christ; that was in- 
cluded in my consecration; that was one of the 
things I didn't know about." This means a great 
deal ; but it pays. The blessing which is received 
far outweighs the sacrifice! 



38 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

The act of consecration is one intelligent, delib- 
erate act performed by the Christian once for all 
— for time and for eternity. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 39 



CHAPTER VII. 

WHAT ARE WE TO CONSECRATE? 

The Whole Man is to be God's "exclusive 
property/' In perfect accord with this statement 
is the sweeping prayer of the Great Apostle. 
"And the very God of peace sanctify you whol- 
ly/' he says, "and I pray God your whole spirit 
and soul and body be preserved blameless unto 
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I. Thess., 
V. 23). 

The Body is to be consecrated to God. God 
through his servant speaks. "I beseech you 
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that 
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac- 
ceptable unto God, which is your reasonable ser- 
vice" (Rom. 12: i). Again, "Know ye not that 
ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of 
God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the tem- 
ple of God, him shall God destroy; for the tem- 
ple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (I. Cor. 
3: 16, 17). Whatever else is included in these 
passages, one thing is certain, our bodies are to 
be used to the. glory of God. The body is not to 



40 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

be abused; not to be defiled; nor to be used in 
any form in the service of Satan. Every evil 
habit, every impure act, everything that is not 
good will not be indulged in. 

The Mind is to be consecrated to the service 
of God. 

''Let this mind be in you," says St. Paul, 
"which was also in Christ Jesus'' (Phil. 2: 5). 
If one has the ''mind of Christ," it is consecrated 
to God. And, if one has a consecrated mind he 
will have the "mind, which was also in Christ 
Jesus." This means a great deal; and yet, it is 
our "reasonable service." 

It means, we shall read only those books which 
shall help us to a better understanding of our- 
selves, our God, and the will of God concerning 
us. Some one has said : "The books we read go 
largely toward making our characters." This is 
true. Under St. Paul, there was a revival of 
true religion at Ephesus. St. Luke records the 
fact : "Many of them also which used curious arts 
brought their books together, and burned them 
before all men; and they counted the price of 
them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of sil- 
ver" (Acts 19: 19). "About eighteen thousand 
dollars' worth" of books were burned in that one 



OF SANCTIFICATION 41 

bonfire, because the people's minds were conse- 
crated to the service of God! A similar act al- 
ways transpires when a person's mind is conse- 
crated to the service of God. Why people should 
read trash when God has given us so many most 
excellent books I cannot understand. It is whol- 
ly unnecessary. Let the mind be consecrated to 
God and that person will be as choice of his 
books as he is of his confidants! 

The consecration of the mind still further 
means, that we will harbor no impure thoughts. 
If the thoughts of man were fully known, what 
a revelation is would be ! ''But,'' some one says, 
''I can't help having impure thoughts." To a 
certain extent this is true. For instance, a thought 
may enter my mind that I will commit some aw- 
ful crime. Mind you, just the thought has en- 
tered. Now, I may harbor that thought; I may 
foster it; I may father it. But, just as soon as 
that thought is harbored — say nothing about the 
act — it becomes a sin, and ''brings forth death" 
(James i: 15). On the other hand, the very 
moment an impure thought enters my mind, I 
may "abhor" it, and dismiss it from my mind. 
These two ways are always open — the fostering 
or the abhorring of the evil thought. While re- 



42 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

maining in the state of abhorrence of evil the 
mind is pure. The mind is to be consecrated to 
God. 

Again, Our Possessions enter into our conse- 
cration. 

With some, here the ''shoe pinches hard.'' 
Many a Christian has come up to this Kadesh- 
Barnea, and would not consecrate his possessions 
to God's service, as a result he has lost his sal- 
vation. But, no person ever yet received, or re- 
tained, the blessing of God who was not willing 
to yield up the last darling! Our possessions 
may not be many, but on God's altar they must 
go. Amanda Smith, a negress — a saint of God — 
says : "I gave everything to God. All I had was 
my black self, my wash-tub, and my wash-board ; 
but I gave all, and the Spirit came and sanctified 
rny soul." Thousands of souls, both in Africa 
and America, have been won to Christ through 
this consecrated woman ! 

In some of our periodicals, not long since, 
there was an interesting article which clearly il- 
lustrates this point. A family owned a beautiful 
vase. It was a present to them. Naturally they 
prized it highly. Their little boy, as is quite fre- 
quently the case, got into mischief. That morn- 



OF SANCTIFICATION 43 

ing his father gave him a penny. Later in the 
day, the Httle fellow went into the parlor, got up 
into a chair, and took down the vase, and was 
playing with it. He dropped his penny into the 
vase. He thrust in his hand to get it. But, he 
couldn't get his hand out. After repeated at- 
tempts, he cried as if his heart would break. His 
mother ran to his rescue. She tried to get his 
hand out, but simply hurt him the more. She 
did not want to break the vase. Finally, she said, 
''Now, Johnnie, you just try once more, and open 
your hand wide, and I think you can do it.'' With 
tears streaming down his cheeks, the boy said, 
"I don't want to open my hand, for if I do, I will 
lose my penny!" That was the secret. Some 
larger children have their hand upon the ''pen- 
ny." This stands between such an one and his 
God. But, no person can receive, or retain, the 
blessing of "Entire Sanctification," until he yields 
up the penny and makes his consecration com- 
plete ! 

The Bible — the Supreme Authority — is not si- 
lent on this important matter. "Bring ye all the 
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat 
in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith 
the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows 



44 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there 
shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mai. 3: 
10). The clear sense of this passage is: God 
gives us a challenge; he asks us to ''prove" him; 
this is done by consecrating ourselves, and our 
all, to him; our bodies, our minds, our posses- 
sions, our money, our time, our ''all" is to be 
consecrated to the Lord. And when this act is 
done, the "Lord of hosts" is proven. God "opens 
the windows of heaven," and such a blessing! 
"Room enough to receive" it all? Nay; the soul 
is flooded with the Divine blessing, so that others 
are blessed by the "overflow." Glory! This is 
God's desire for all his children. 

"All, O my Savior, 

Thou hast given all for me; 
Thy great all; and shall I offer — 

Less than my poor all to thee?" 



OF SANCTIFICATION 45 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE HOW OF SANCTIFICATION. 

'The altar . . . sanctifieth the gift'' (Matt. 
23:19). 

This is simply another, way of saying that every 
person who really and truly consecrates himself 
to God is accepted by him. It is utterly impos- 
sible that it should be otherwise, since God has 
so promised: ^'Sanctify yourselves therefore, 
and be ye holy ... I am the Lord which 
sanctify you" (Lev. 20: 7, 8). 

The clear teaching of the Bible concerning 
this passage is : The term ''altar" has reference 
to the sacrifice of Christ; the term ''gift" refers 
to a true Christian — a person "born of God," and 
the term ^'sanctifieth," in its connection, refers 
to the Divine demonstration of the fact of sanc- 
tification in the human soul. Notice — I. First, 
The altar — the sacrifice of Christ. 

When I say the term "altar" here has refer- 
ence to Christ and his sacrifice, I am on Scrip- 
tural ground. Nearly all, if not all, of the ancient 
sacrifices, with the temple, tabernacle, and fur- 



46 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

niture, have a symbolical meaning. In Exodus 
we read: ''Seven days thou shalt make an atone- 
ment for the altar, and sanctify it, and it shall 
be an altar most holy ; whatsoever toucheth the 
altar shall be holy" (29: 37). In speaking of the 
term "altar,'' Dr. Albert Barnes says: 'The 
altar, dedicated to God, gave all the value or 
holiness to the offering." 

Turning now from the darkness of the Old to 
the ever increasing light of the New Testament, 
what does the "altar" symbolize? The "Epistle 
to the Hebrews" is the best commentary in ex- 
istence on the Mosaic economy. The writer 
says : "We have an altar, whereof they have no 
right to eat which serve the tabernacle. Forthe 
bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought 
into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are 
burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, 
that he might sanctify the people with his own 
blood, suffered without the gate" (13:10-12). 
Now, here we have stated very clearly the mode 
and procedure of the Old Testament sacrifices. 
Here, also, we find the symbol in connection 
with the sacrifice of Christ. We read: "We 
have an altar." What is this "altar?" Dr. 
Whedon says: "It is the 'table of the Lord,' 



OF SANCTIFICATION 47 

whereon the emblem of the victim is partaken, 
and from which all but the believing Christian 
are excluded." Others have understood by the 
term "altar" the cross on which Christ was slain. 
The terms table, cross and altar, however, mean 
one and the same thing. They are simply im- 
ages by which the "saving power of the atone- 
ment is represented." 

In the blood of Christ is man's only possible 
hope of salvation from sin. Nowhere in the Bi- 
ble is any other remedy held out. The Apostle 
says: "Christ has obtained eternal redemption 
for us" (9 : 12). "By the which will we are sanc- 
tified through the offering of the body of Jesus 
Christ once for all" (10:5-10). These passages 
are all the more forcible because they come from 
the "Epistle to the Hebrews," which has so much 
to say concerning the emblematical and the real 
sacrifice. 

In "Possibilities of Grace," a very clear ex- 
position of the experience and life of holiness, 
Dr. Lowry says : "Christ is our altar, and contact 
with him alone now sanctifieth." 

After carefully and prayerfully studying all 
the passages bearing upon this point, I do not 
believe any intelligent, reasonable, and unpreju- 



48 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

diced person can question the truth of the asser- 
tion. Christ, and his sacrifice, is our ''altar ;'' and 
''the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son cleanseth 
us from all sin" (I. John i : 7). Now, notice, 
II. The gift to be laid upon the altar. This re- 
fers to a true Christian — a person "born of God.'' 

Who can offer a sacrifice which shall be accept- 
able unto the Lord ? This is one of the most im- 
portant factors entering into the experience of 
such as are seeking to be sanctified wholly. Bish- 
op Isaac W. Joyce is generally recognized as a 
man with a "sound mind," and a high degree of 
spirituality. According to his way of thinking, 
the sinner simply surrenders; he lays down his 
arms of rebellion; he really has nothing to give 
to the Lord; he does not, in a true sense, "con- 
secrate." No sinner, however, can be converted 
unless he gives up every sin. Yet, he cannot, 
while in a state of rebellion, offer an acceptable 
sacrifice. Before he is converted he has nothing 
to give. 

This is the teaching of the Great Apostle — the 
"classical writer" on this subject. He says: 
"Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are 
alive from the dead; and your members as in- 
struments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6: 



OF SANCTIFICATION 49 

13). What is the meaning of the phrase, "those 
that are alive from the dead?'' By comparing 
Ephesians 2: i, the meaning is made clear: "And 
you hath he quickened/' says he, "who were dead 
in trespasses and in sins." The phrase, "dead in 
trespasses and in sins,'' all will concede as refer- 
ring to the unconverted. The term "quickened," 
or "made alive," will also be conceded as refer- 
ring to the work of "regeneration," when life is 
imparted to the deadened soul. Now, then, what 
does St. Paul mean by his phrase, "alive from 
the dead ?" He refers directly to true Christians, 
to such as have become "new creatures in Christ 
Jesus" (11. Cor. 5: 17). To every such person, 
God, through his servant, says : "Yield yourselves 
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, 
and your members as instruments of righteous- 
ness unto God !" 

The act of consecration is one intelligent, delib- 
erate, definite act on the part of the true Chris- 
tian. St. Paul says : "I beseech you, therefore, 
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present 
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable 
unto God, which is your reasonable service" 
(Rom. 12: i). The "gift," in order to be ac- 
ceptable unto the Lord, must be alive spiritually. 



50 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

He must have been ''born of God." He must, to 
a certain extent, be ''holy/' Nothing short of 
this will be acceptable unto the Lord. In "Mile- 
stone Papers,^' Dr. Daniel Steele points out these 
facts: "The persons addressed were already 
Christians.'' And the "sacrifice must be holy; 
that is, accepted as the lamb was examined by the 
priest, and pronounced fit for sacrifice or accept- 
able to Jehovah." 

Dean Alford well observes the fact that the 
Christian is to make a complete consecration once 
for all. In commenting on Rom. 12: i, he says: 
"The aorist is here used, because no habitual of- 
fering, as in vkc or festival, is meant, but the one, 
once for all, devotion of the body." "If it was 
the present imperative," says Dr. Steele, "instead 
of reading: 'Present your bodies a living sacri- 
fice,' it would read, 'Be presenting your bodies 
again and again.' " .But, this is not the teaching 
of God's Word. The Christian's consecration is 
not a repetition of the form quite frequently ; but, 
it is one deliberate act, performed for a definite 
purpose, for time and for eternity ! 

Very clearly, then, we are taught by God's 
Word: The true Christian is the ''gift" to be laid 
upon God's "altar." And what Dr. Adam Clarke 



OF SANCTIFICATION 51 

says is true : ''Whatever was laid on the altar be- 
came the Lord's property, and must be wholly de- 
voted to sacred uses/' This is true as applied to 
the Christian when he places himself on God's 
altar. He is to be from that very hour "wholly 
devoted to sacred uses." He is the ''Lord's prop- 
erty.'^ He "glorifies God with his body and spirit 
which are God's" (L Cor.'6: 20). 

in. Now, notice. The Demonstration of the 
fact of our Sanctification. 

This, too, is of the intensest importance, and 
demands careful consideration. This is the very 
point where many Christians have failed in the 
realization of their high anticipations. They have 
recognized the merits of Christ's blood as their 
only hope of cleansing from sin. They also have, 
to the very best of their ability, given everything 
to Christ; but, they have not had the conscious- 
ness that the "gift" was accepted. Of course, 
for this, there was a reason. God always does his 
part. The lack is on your part. Settle that in 
your mind. "But, is there yet hope?" Yes — 
thank God! — there is hope. Another Divinely 
prescribed condition must be met. 

First. What are we to believe concerning 
Christ, our altar, after having consecrated every- 



52 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

thing to him? The term *'sanctifieth" is in the 
present tense. The same term is used many times 
in the Scriptures. The ''EngHshman's Greek Con- 
cordance'^ gives a long Hst of passages in which 
the word occurs in the New Testament. In every 
case, it is in the present tense. In Heb. 2 : ii, we 
read : ,''Both he that sanctifieth and they who are 
sanctified are all of one.'' Commenting on this 
passage, Dr. Whedon says : ''The present tense 
of the Greek participle implying a now continu- 
ous process; they who are sanctified, are being 
sanctified.'' Again, in the same wonderful ''Epis- 
tle," the writer says: "For if the blood of bulls 
and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprink- 
ling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the 
flesh." (It did sanctify to the "purifying of the 
flesh" the very moment the ceremony took place.) 
"How much morCj" says the Apostle, "shall the 
blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit, 
offered himself without spot to God, purge your 
conscience from dead works to serve the living 
God?" (9: 13, 14). The clear and unmistakable 
teaching of these passages is : We must believeJn 
the merits of Christ's blood for a perfect, pres- 
ent cleansing now! After having placed all on 
■ the altar, we are to believe the "altar" is .now 



OF SANCTIFICATION 53 

''sanctifying the gift." God does now accept the 
"gift'' for Jesus' sake. The blood of Christ is 
now cleansing from sin. 

This is an absolute fact: God tells the truth. 
The devil is a liar. And if he can get a person 
to distrust God, he knows that person will not be 
cleansed from sin. 'The altar sanctifieth the gift." 
"Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy" 
(Ex. 29: 37). You are now God's property. 
"After you have laid your gift upon the altar," 
says Dr. Steele, "look away from the gift toward 
the skies, from whence the fire shall come down 
to consume your sacrifice, in token of its accept- 
ance." Having done your part trust God to do 
his. Let go of yourself, and trust in Jesus' blood. 
It will not be long before you are conscious of 
Divine cleansing, and that you are "filled with all 
the fullness of God" (Eph. 3 : 19). 

A brother had been seeking the experience of 
"Entire Sanctification" for some years. He had 
read everything he could get hold of on the sub- 
ject. He knew the theory from "A to Z," but 
had not received the precious experience. While 
we were conducting revival services in his home 
church, he manifested deep interest. He came 
forward to the altar as a seeker of "Heart Pur- 



54 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

ity.'* He wanted to be cleansed from all sin, 
and to be "filled with the Holy Ghost/' more than 
he wanted anything else. He was fully deter- 
mined not to be deceived. Somehow he felt he 
would be conscious of the ''filling with the Spirit" 
when it came. He continued coming to the altar. 
Over and over again, we would say: "Brother 

, is everything consecrated to God? Is your 

all on the altar?'' The response was always in 
the affirmative. Still he was not conscious of be- 
ing sanctified wholly. But, as he continued to 

consecrate, we continued saying, "Brother , 

trust the blood of Christ to cleanse you. If you 
have conscientiously done your part, trust God 
to do his." We kept repeating it, "Trust, trust, 
trust in the blood of Christ to cleanse you. Trust 
God to do as he says, 'The altar sanctifieth the 
gift.' " Finally, he did trust. In this state of 
trusting, even without feeling — except the feel- 
ing that he was doing right — he remained. . He 
was by nature a calm, quiet, undemonstrative 
man. One Sabbath day he was sitting in the 
church. There was nothing in the services that 
seemed to have any special effect on him. But, 
while sitting there in this trusting mood, sudden- 
ly the great deep of his nature was broken up. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 55 

At first, he wept like a child. Then, he com- 
menced to shout, ''Hallelujah ! hallelujah ! halle- 
lujah !" Billow after billow, and wave after 
wave of divine joy, and love, and power flooded 
his soul ; A happier man never was known. He 
went home and told what great things the Lord 
had done for his soul. Several others sought 
the same precious experience. Revival fires were 
kindled. 

Beloved, this is a clear case of ''Entire Sanc- 
tification.'' The brother was a real Christian be- 
fore. People had implicit confidence in him. 
But, he felt his deep need. He wanted to help 
sinners to find Jesus. He wanted to be able to 
help the believer into the higher, richer, and deep- 
er experience of "Full Salvation.^^ He desired 
the "Baptism with the Holy Ghost.'' And when 
he fulfilled the conditions laid down in God's 
Word, he received the longing desire of his heart. 
He consecrated ; he asked for it ; he trusted ; and 
he received his precious legacy! "Go thou and 
do likewise," and you will have a like experience. 

Do you want to be sanctified wholly ? Do you 
really want to be "filled with all the fullness of 
God?" Be sure you give everything to God. 
Ask him to help you. Believe that he does help 



56 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

you, as you honestly give him yourself and your 
''all/^ Then, having asked the Father to accept 
your ''gift" for Jesus' sake, just trust him. Be- 
lieve, upon the authority of the Divine declara- 
tion, 'The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, 
cleanseth you from all sin." In the face of all the 
devils in hell ; in the face of all the imps of earth ; 
in the face of feeling or no feeling; believe God, 
and trust alone in the merits of Christ's blood, 
and you will soon be made conscious that your 
"gift" is accepted by the Lord of Hosts! But, 
before you feel you are sanctified wholly, you 
must believe God and trust Christ to do it. As 
in the presence of the All-Seeing One, do you 
meet these conditions ? If so, God says, "The al- 
tar sanctifieth the gift." Is it true? Does God 
tell the truth ? It is true ; it is true ! 



OF SANCTIFICATION 57 

CHAPTER IX 

HOLINESS : AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY. 

"Follow ^ ^ * . holiness, without which no 
man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). 

It is not my purpose to discuss the nature, at- 
tainability, reasons for seeking, and how to get 
the experience : but to show that holiness of heart 
is an absolute necessity in order to get the most 
out of the present life, and of the life to come. 

Dr. Whedon, the noted Methodist commenta- 
tor, says: ''The holy will alone see God.'' Dr. 
Albert Barnes — a Presbyterian — in his ''Notes," 
says : "Never can we see God in peace without a 
holy heart ; never can we be admitted into heaven 
without that religion which will identify us with 
the angels around the throne." Nothing could be 
clearer; nothing could be simpler; of nothing 
could we be more positive than of this fact ; with- 
out holiness "no man shall see the Lord." 

I. Heaven is a holy place. "Holy, holy, holy, 
is the Lord of hosts," is the chorus sung by the 
angels. It is characteristic of the place that God 
is holy. The angels that dwell there are holy. 



58 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

And, the saints who have been made holy in 
heart, through faith in Christ's precious blood, 
shall live there. 

2. Holiness is the theme of the Bible. From 
Genesis to Revelation, the one great theme is ho- 
liness. In his ''Christian Purity,'' Bishop Foster 
well says : ''It breathes in the prophecy, thunders 
in the law, murmurs in the narrative, whispers in 
the promises, supplicates in the prayers, sparkles 
in the poetry, resounds in the songs, speaks in the 
types, glows in the imagery, voices in the lan- 
guage, and burns in the spirit of the whole 
scheme, from the alpha to the omega, the begin- 
ning to the end." 

(2) The Divinely declared purpose of the Bi- 
ble, is To make men holy. The inspired Apostle 
says : "All Scripture is given by inspiration of 
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 
for correction, for instruction in righteousness; 
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
furnished unto all good works" (II. Tim. 3:16, 

17). 

3. To make possible holiness of heart and life 
brought Christ from heaven. Christ says: "I 
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, 
and to give my life a ransom for many" (Matt. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 59 

20:28). St. Paul also says: "And you, that 
were sometime alienated and enemies in your 
mind by wicked works, yet now hath he recon- 
ciled in the body of his flesh through death, to 
present you holy and unblameable and unreprove- 
able in his sight" (Col. 1:21, 22), And the 
Apostle Jude says: ''(Christ) is able to keep you 
from falling, and to present you faultless before 
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy'' 
(verse 24). The clear sense of these passages 
is : ''The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth 
us from all sin" (I. John 1:7). To make men 
holy, then, was the mission of Christ. 

4. The object of the ministry is to build up 
the people in the "holiness without which no man 
shall see the Lord." 

( I ) In paragraph one hundred and thirty-five, 
of the Methodist Discipline, we read : "The most 
effectual way of preaching Christ is to preach him 
in all his offices, and to declare his law as well as 
his Gospel, both to believers and unbelievers. Let 
us strongly and closely insist upon inward and 
outward holiness in all its branches" — "and to do 
this in some measure in every sermon." In the 
"Rules for a Preacher's Conduct," in the same 
book, we read: "It is not your business only to 



60 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

preach so many times, and to take care of this or 
that society, but to save as many as you can; to 
bring as many sinners as you can to repentance, 
and with all your power to build them up in that 
holiness without which no man shall see the 
Lord." A Methodist preacher who does not 
''bring sinners to repentance,'' and believers into 
the experience of ''holiness,'' has missed his call- 
ing. 

(2) But, it is not the "work of the ministry" 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church alone to build 
up people in holiness, it is the "work" of the en- 
tire church of Jesus Christ. For, St. Paul says : 
"And he gave some apostles ; and some prophets ; 
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and 
teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints ; for the 
work of the ministry; for the edifying of the 
body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of 
the faith, and of tjie knowledge of the Son of 
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the 
stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-13). 
To "present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" 
(Col. 1 :28), was the Apostle's aim. And, this is 
the aim of every God-called preacher. 

5. The mission of Methodism is to "raise up 
a holy people." 



OF SANCTIFICATION 61 

( 1 ) On page thirteen of her remarkable Book 
of Discipline, we have the following ''Historical 
Statement/' '' In 1729, two young men in En- 
gland, reading the Bible, saw they could not be 
saved without holiness, follow^ed after it, and in- 
cited others so to do. In 1737, they saw, likewise, 
that men are justified before they are sanctified, 
but still holiness was their object. God then 
thrust them out to raise up a holy people.' '' This 
was the rise of Methodism, as given in the words 
of its founders, John and Charles Wesley of Ox- 
ford University and Presbytery of the Church of 
England.'' 

(2) In the ''Episcopal Address" in the last edi- 
tion (1900) of the Discipline, we read: "We be- 
lieve that God's design in raising up the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church in America was to evan- 
gelize the continent and spread scriptural holiness 
over these lands." 

(3) It was the special emphasis of the truth of 
holiness of heart and life that made Methodism. 
With worldliness and Deism rampant, a church 
with "a form of godliness, but denying the pow- 
er thereof," God anointed the eyes of John Wes- 
ley to see the truth, first, of pardon ; then, of pur- 
ity, which he came to realize in his own experi- 



62 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

ence, the result of v/hich was "revival fire." Wes- 
ley then preached holiness with all his might. 
Other souls were ''fired up," and they, too, 
preached holiness. What Dr. Olin said is true: 
''Preaching holiness was a peculiarity of early 
Methodism." Judging from the results achieved, 
can we do better than to follow "where the saints 
have trod?" 

6. To emphasize holiness means a revival. In 
fact, while there are other revival laws, this is 
the revival law. 

( 1 ) It is generally conceded to-day that there 
is a crying need of a genuine revival. What has 
brought about this dire need? Cannot a part of 
it, at least, be accounted for in the utter neglect 
on the part of many preachers to experience and 
preach holmess? When a person breaks a "law 
of nature" he suffers for it. Can we, then, break 
spiritual laws and not suffer as a result ? Spirit- 
ual health depends on the obedience of spiritual 
laws. 

(2) Mr. Wesley recognized holiness empha- 
sized in experience and practice to be the revival 
law. He says: "Where Christian perfection (full 
salvation) is not strongly and explicitly preach- 
ed, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from 



OP SANCTIFICATION 63 

God; and consequently little addition to the sor 
society, and little life in its members. ^ ^ ^ 
Till you press believers/' he continues, ''to expect 
full salvation now, you must not look for a revi- 
val." 

This same ''man of God," in another place, 
states: "I examined the society at Bristol and 
was surprised to find fifty fewer than I left last 
October. One reason is. Christian perfection has 
been little insisted on; and wherever this is not 
done, be the preachers ever so eloquent, there is 
little increase, either in numbers, or in the grace 
of the hearers." 

And, here is another remarkable example from 
the pen of Mr. Wesley. He writes : "I preached 
at Bradford, where the people are all alive. Many 
here have lately experienced the ^reat salvation, 
and their zeal has been a general blessing. In- 
deed, this I always observe, wherever a work of 
sanctification breaks out, the whole work of God 
prospers." Such is the view of John Wesley — the 
main figure in the great Methodist revival. 

(3) This assertion — holiness is the revival law 
— is further substantiated by the history of the 
early church, as recorded in the "Acts." Though 
there was a dire need of the Gospel; though 



64 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

souls were being lost daily; yet, recognizing all 
the pros and cons, our Savior said to his com- 
missioned disciples : ''Behold, I send the promise 
of the Father upon you ; but tarry ye in the city 
of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from 
on high" (Luke 24:49). They were obliged to 
''tarry" ten days when the promise was fulfilled. 
Their hearts were "purified by faith f they were 
"filled with the Holy Ghost ;" they were ready for 
work. Glorious revivals naturally followed, when 
thousands were converted. Let the hosts of Zion 
experience and practice holiness, and there are 
not devils enough in hell, nor imps enough on 
earth to stop our taking the world for Christ ! 

From these various facts is not the proposition 
affirmed. Holiness of heart is an absolute neces- 
sity in order to get the most out of the present 
life, and of that which is to come? O, may all 
our hearts be opened for the reception of this 
greatest and best of all blessings ! 



OF SANCTIFICATION 65 



CHAPTER X. 

OBEDIENCE— THE TEST OF OUR SIN- 
CERITY. 

"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken 
than the fat of rams/' — I. Sam. 15 : 22, 

Saul, the king of Israel, went to battle with the 
Amalekites. The Lord's commandment was to 
''utterly destroy" all the Amalekites and all their 
possessions (verse 3). But Saul, who, by the 
way, was a ''backslider," "spared Agag, and the 
best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the 
fatling's, and the lambs, and all that was good, 
and would not utterly destroy them" (verse 9). 
God spoke to his servant Samuel, and urged him 
to go to King Saul with a rousing exhortation. 

With a burdened heart, and a grieving spirit, 
the "man of God" meets Saul. At once, he, play- 
ing the hypocrite, says: "Blessed be thou of the 
Lord; I have performed the commandment of 
the Lord" (Verse 13). But, Samuel still has his 
"senses," and so says, "What meaneth then this 
bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing 
of the oxen which I hear?" (verse 14). Here 



66 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

was proof positive that Saul had not "performed 
the commandment of the Lord." Of course, the 
hypocrite tried then to lay the sin at the door of 
others, but God knew, and Saul knew too, who 
the guilty party was. Then the excuse was made 
that the people desired the sheep, the oxen, the 
fatlings, and the lambs *^to sacrifice unto the 
Lord." "It was for a good purpose," was it? 
"The end justified the means," did it? Samuel, 
inspired by the Spirit of God, declared in unmis- 
takable language, that God was not pleased with 
the course. "Behold, to obey is better than sac- 
rifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For 
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborn- 
ness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou 
hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also 
rejected thee from being king." 

How natural it is for a disobedient person to 
seek to justify himself by making some sacrifice 
— or, by his works! This scheme may, to some 
extent, work with man, but no such artifice will 
satisfy the Almighty. He demands obedience 
from the heart, the actual doing of what he com- 
mands. He will take no substitute ! Now, notice 

Obedience in its relation to conversion. 

No person can get converted without obeying 



OF SANCTIFICATION 67 

the Lord. The conditions of the Gospel must 
be complied with. Real repentance for sin must 
transpire. There must be a hearty sorrow for 
those sins. There must be an utter forsaking of 
every known sin. Restitutions must be made 
(Matt. 3:8). There must also be an obedience 
to the command, ''Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ" (Acts 16: 31). But, this will be impos- 
sible without meeting the first condition of hearty 
repentance. (See Is. 55: 8; Luke 14: 33; IL 
Cor. 7: 9, 10.) 

There must also be obedience to God's com- 
mand: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the 
Lord. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace 
to the humble'' (James 4: 10, 6.) Peter Bohler 
was not far from the real truth, when he said to 
John Wesley, "My brother, my brother, that phi- 
losophy of yours must be purged away." In writ- 
ing to Count Zinzendorf concerning this conver- 
sation, Mr. Bohler said : "Our mode of believing 
in the Savior is so easy to Englishmen that they 
cannot reconcile themselves to it ; if it were a little 
miore artful, they would much sooner find their 
way into it." [Quoted by Telford in Life of 
Wesley, p. 96.] It will be remembered that these 
Moravian Brethren helped Wesley much in find- 



68 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

ing salvation. And when Wesley humbled him- 
self to the simplicity of a child-like faith, he soon 
*'felt his heart strangely warmed." 

Many times, people are not willing to do certain 
things, not willing to go to certain places in order 
to be saved. They quibble about the altar; they 
quibble about the inquiry room; they quibble 
about the preacher's methods. But, until a man 
gets through quibbling he will not find Jesus as 
his Savior. It is quite generally known that 
Charles G. Finney, the noted evangelist, was con- 
verted in a grove. And after his conversion, 
largely through his instrumentality, there was a 
glorious revival in his home town. Many of the 
seekers claimed to have found victory in that 
same grove. Naturally, as they related their ex- 
perience, they spoke of the place, where it trans- 
pired. The place of a man's conversion to him 
is a sacred spot, let it be where it may ! There 
was one person in the community, however, 
though he was under strong conviction for sin, 
who was determined that he should not be con- 
verted in that grove. It was a little matter, to be 
sure, but he was quibbling! God purposed to 
take the ''quibble" out. In his struggles, to con- 
vince himself, and, as he supposed, the Lord, that 



OF SANCTIFICATION 60 

it was not on account of his pride that he did not 
want to go to the grove, he laid down in the street 
and '^rolled in a mud-puddle!" This was pretty- 
hard medicine to take, especially when it did not 
cure. Not until he went into the grove, knelt 
on that sacred spot, where so many had found 
Christ, and fulfilled all the conditions of the Gos- 
pel, did he know the joy of sins pardoned! [See 
Finney's autobiography.] Well does the Psalm- 
ist pray : 
'Thou desirest not sacrifice, 

Else would I give it. 
Thou delightest not in burnt offering. 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; 
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, 

Thou wilt not despise.'' (51 :i6, 17.) 

Now, notice: Obedience in its relation to en- 
tire sanctification. 

It is simply impossible for a person to be a child 
of God, and be conscious of the Father's approval, 
unless there is real heart obedience all along the 
line! The scribe said to Jesus: ''Well, Master, 
thou hast said the truth, for there is one God, and 
there is none other but he. And to love him with 
all the heart, and with all the understanding, and 
with all the soul, and with all the strength, and 



70 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all 
whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when 
Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said 
unto him : thou art not far from the kingdom of 
God." (Mark 12:32-34.) 

Two brothers attended a Holiness camp-meet- 
ing. One had received the experience of "entire 
sanctification," but the other had not. The one 
who had the precious experience — like every other 
truly sanctified man — was anxious that others 
might receive the same blessed legacy. They went 
into the woods to pray. The brother, who had 
the experience, prayed earnestly for the other. 
Then, the seeker prayed. It was not long before 
he began to shout, "Fll do it ! Til do it !" and the 
blessing of the Lord came. What did he mean ? 
He meant that he would obey the Lord. He was 
a general merchant. Among other things, he 
sold tobacco. He could not make a complete 
consecration of himself, and his all, until he got 
rid of, or was willing to cease dealing in, the 
"filthy weed!" And when he said, "Til do it! FlI 
do it!" he obeyed the Lord, was enabled to con- 
secrate himself, and his all, and believe for the 
blessing. He immediately telegraphed his clerks 
to sell no more tobacco. When he reached home, 



OF SANCTIFICATION 71 

he had a bon-fire of three hundred dollars' worth ! 
He ought to have ceased dealing in the filthy stuff 
before ; but, until he began seeking and got under 
conviction for heart-purity, he evidently had not 
reached his Kadesh-Barnea. But, having reach- 
ed it, he must either advance, or go back into 
sin ! 

The writer believes that many persons are 
barred from receiving the experience of ''entire 
sanctification" simply because of their prejudices. 
These must be laid aside or the blessing will not 
be realized. Dr. J. O. Peck, the lamented pastor 
and author, was one of the sweetest-spirited, and 
most successful soul-winners, that the nineteenth 
century produced. Like many others, at one 
time he was prejudiced against the National Holi- 
ness Association. He had not been entirely sanc- 
tified then. But, he felt a lack in his soul. He 
had a heart searching time. He tells us : ''The 
result of these weeks of heart throes was a grad- 
ual sinking of self, a consuming of all selfish am- 
bitions and purposes, and a consciousness of ut- 
ter emptiness." Then, he longed to be "filled.'' 
He waited upon the Lord. He says : "I had been 
prejudiced against the National Camp-Meeting 
Association. I avoided their meetings ; but in the 



72 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

midst of my longings of soul their meeting at 
Round Lake in 1872 occurred." He had not 
thought of attending. But, the Spirit suggested 
that if he went and confessed his need, he should 
receive his heart's desire. All prejudice had sub- 
sided. He got excused^ from an important wed- 
ding, and went to Round Lake. He lost no time. 
He made known his desire. He went to the altar. 
He made a complete consecration to Jesus. Then, 
as he says : ^'By simple trust I was enabled to take 
Christ as my sufficiency to fill and satisfy my 
hungry soul. The instant I thus received Christ 
as my 'wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and 
redemption' (L Cor. 1 130), the stillness and emo- 
tionlessness of absolute quiet permeated my en- 
tire being." ''At once, the most delicious experi- 
ence was mine that I could conceive." [See Tract, 
"Victory of Faith."] O that all God's people 
would put aside their prejudices ! How^ different 
would their experiences be! We must obey the 
Lord, if we desire the blessing! 

Many times, it may be a trifling thing, in and 
of itself, but whatever it may be, the seeker must 
obey the Lord. Dr. Carradine says : 'T have got 
something bigger to shoot at than a rooster-tail 
feather." True, we all have ; but, it may be that 



OF SANCTIFICATION 73 

little ''rooster-tail feather" that keeps some soul 
from receiving their legacy. But, 

''When we walk with the Lord, 

In the light of his Word, 
What a glory he sheds on our way ! 

While we do his good will, 
He abides with us still. 

And with all who will trust and obey. 

"But we never can prove. 

The delights of his love. 
Until all on the altar we lay, 

For the favor he shows. 
And the joy he bestows. 

Are for all who will trust and obey!" 



74 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 



CHAPTER XL 

IN ESSENTIALS UNITY; IN DETAILS DI- 
VERSITY. 

It is exceedingly important that we recognize 
the fact that God speaks in ''divers manners'' to 
men (Heb. i: i, 2). He deals with us as indi- 
viduals. Remembering the fact that men's tem- 
peraments differ from each other, our heavenly 
Father deals with us wisely. He purposes, and 
in this h* is certainly Sovereign, that we shall 
have an experience of our own — not some other 
person's. 

The writer believes that some honest and sin- 
cere seekers have reallv received the experience 
of ''entire sanctification,"but did not recognize the 
fact on account of their preconceived notions as 
to just how the Lord should bless them. They 
seem to expect that they shall have the same 
identical experience, in all its details, that they 
know somebody else had. This is a great mis- 
take ! The real essentials of the experience are 
always the same, but, the details are seldom the 
same with two individuals. When the conditions 
are fully complied with, that person is "cleansed 



OF SANCTIFICATION 75 

from all sin'' (I. John 1:7). Of that thing, 
every seeker may be absolutely certain. But, as 
to just how the ''witness" will come, no person 
can foresee. With even a cursory reading of the 
Bible, this fact becomes apparent. 

I. With some the experience is a fullness of 
joy. It is our Savior himself who says : ''These 
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might 
remain in you, and that your joy might be iulV 
(John 15: 11). By a careful study of the pre- 
ceding verses of this discourse, one can easily 
learn what the "things'' were, which Jesus "had 
spoken." One will also readily see that "these 
things" — abiding in Christ, answered prayers, 
bearing fruit, and the presence of the blessed 
Comforter — were destined to fill a person with 
joy. • The ^reat purpose in our Lord's mind was 
to lead his own disciples into the experience of 
"entire sanctification." 

Dr. Edgar M. Levy, pastor of the Berean Bap- 
tist Church, in Philadelphia, had this special char- 
acteristic witness to the work being done. He 
says : "I seemed filled with all the fullness of God. 
I wept for joy. All night long I wept. All the 
next day, at the family altar, on the street, and 
in the sanctuary, tears continued to flow. The 



76 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

fountain of my being seemed broken up, and my 
heart was dissolved in gratitude and praise. My 
soul seemed filled with pulses, every one thrilling 
and throbbing with such waves of love and rap- 
ture that I thought I must die from excess of 
life/' Note, this joy was deep, abiding, and full. 
Is not this a clear illustration of our Savior's 
words ? 

2. Again, the effect is that of a fullness of 
lave. That precious prayer of St. Paul's, record- 
ed in Eph. 3: 14-21, has nothing less in view. 
That the Christian might ''know the love of 
Christ, which passeth knowledge, * "^ '^' and be 
filled with all the fullness of God," — for this does 
the Apostle pray. ''Perfect love" is the theme of 
St. John. The same phase, at times, is empha- 
sized by Jesus. Surely, no person ever yet had too 
much of God's love ; and no one can possibly ob- 
ject to this blessed fact. 

There is no person who has, or does now pos- 
sess, the experience of "entire sanctification," bet- 
ter or more favorably known than Dr. Daniel 
Steele, a Methodist. He is known by many ex- 
cellent books on the theme, and as a teacher of 
long experience in Boston University, School of 
Theology. Here is his personal testimony : "Sud- 



OF SANCTIFICATION 77 

denly I became conscious of a mysterious power 
exerting itself upon my sensibilities. My physi- 
cal sensations, though not of a nervous tempera- 
ment, in good health, alone, and calm, were like 
those of electric sparks passing through my 
bosom with slight but painless shocks, melting 
my hard heart into a fiery stream of love. Christ 
became so unspeakably precious, that I instantly 
dropped all earthly good — reputation, property, 
friends, family, everything, in the twinkling of 
an eye, and my soul cried out : 

'' 'None but Christ to me be given. 
None but Christ in earth or heaven/ '^ 

In Dr. Steele's case, it was a ''fiery stream of 
love." 

3. And then, the immediate sensations, re: 
sultant from this precious experience, in other 
cases, is that of purity. In its last analysis, the 
term sanctification means "purity" [See Robin- 
son's Greek-English Lexicon], from whence 
flows pure love for God and man. Hence, many 
people call the experience "sanctification," be- 
cause of their sense of purity. This term, like the 
others already noticed, is perfectly scriptural. It 
is used very largely in the Bible. No one can 



78 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

reasonably object to it, even though it has been 
abused. Jesus says : ''Sanctify them through thy 
truth; thy word is truth'' (John 17: 17) ; ''Bless- 
ed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God" 
(Matt. 5:8). And, St. John says: "And every 
man that hath this hope,'' the hope of "seeing Je- 
sus as he is," because he has become a "child of 
God" (verse i); "purifies himself," places him- 
self in that position before God, that he may puri- 
fy his heart; "even as he (Jesus) is pure" (1. 
Epis. 3: 3). 

This was the sense of the experience that Bish- 
op Foster had. This man was one of the world's 
greatest preachers and thinkers. Hear him tes- 
tify: "Here again the Spirit seemed to lead me 
into the inmost sanctuary of my soul — into those 
chambers where I had before discovered such 
defilement, and showed me that all was cleansed, 
that the corruptions which had given me such 
distress were dead — taken away, that not one of 
them remained. I felt the truth of the witness; 
it was so ; I was conscious of it, as conscious as I 
ever had been of my conversion. * * * What 
a wonderful deliverance the Lord has wrought! 
Ought not I to praise him ? Ought not I to pub- 
lish this great salvation ?" In^ view of this posi- 



OF SANCTIFICATION 79 

tive testimony, that ^'all was cleansed/' that the 
"corruptions were dead /' in view of the author's 
own blessed statements in ''Christian Purity/' it 
certainly does seem a little strange that such a 
great and good man as the late Dr. Miley should 
say, ''Bishop Foster clearly holds the view of re- 
pression/' [Systematic Theology, Vol. II., page 
364.] He then refers his readers to page 74 of 
"Christian Purity/' But Dr. Miley is clearly mis- 
taken. Bishop Foster did not believe in the pres- 
ent popular theory of "repression," but of eradi- 
cation of the last and least remains of sin. In the 
passage referred to, the author is speaking, as he 
says, of "natural dispositions and propensities." 
"These — the natural propensities, not sinful pro- 
pensities — are not supposed to be destroyed when 
a soul is entirely freed from sin (What does this 
phrase mean, if not eradication?), but only 
brought under right government and restored to 
a proper character — not allowed to be instruments 
of sin." We all have natural appetites, such as 
eating and drinking, and these, in the entirely 
sanctified, instead of ruling, are ruled, and kept in 
their proper place. This is exactly what St. Paul 
meant in I. Cor. 9: 2J, The soul is made pure 
through the blood of Jesus. 



80 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

4. A sense of power, to a large degree, is some- 
times the realization. To some extent, every en- 
tirely sanctified person realizes this. For, every 
such person possesses moral power enough to be 
a continual victor ''over the world, the flesh, and 
the devil." But, some seem to have a greater de- 
gree of power to, under God, ''bring things to 
pass." Jesus, just before his ascension, said : "Ye 
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is 
come upon you" (Acts 1:8). And when, ten 
days later, the disciples, to whom the promise 
was first given, received the Holy Ghost, they did 
have "power." But, I venture to say, that some 
sensed the special gift of power more than others. 

Peter, once the cringing, timid, cowardly man, 
needed to especially sense this power. And, after 
a careful study of his Pentecostal Sermon, and 
noting what was "brought to pass," it is certain- 
ly evident that he felt the special "power." His 
entire ministry, after this ever-memorable experi- 
ence, shows Peter a"power with God, and with 
men" (Gen. 32: 28). 

5. But, one of the sweetest and most precious 
sensations, though so frequently depreciated in 
its realization, is a "perfect peace." "Thou wilt 
keep him in perfect peace," says the Evangelical 



OF SANCTIFICATION . 81 

prophet, "whose mind is stayed on thee : because 
he trusteth in thee" (Is. 26: 3). Parallel to these 
sweet words is the precious promise of our bless- 
ed Master : 'Take my yoke upon you, and learn 
of me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart : and ye 
shall find rest unto your souls'' (Ma?tt. 11: 29). 
Mark you, this is a ''second rest," a rest, not from 
sins conmiitted, but of soul ; a rest from "the ex- 
cruciating thorn of indwelling sin, which sticks 
in your heart" (Fletcher's Works, Vol. VL, p. 
619), a rest from that "root of bitterness" (Heb. 
12: 15). For, in the preceding verse, Jesus had 
spoken of a first rest, a rest for the "heavy laden" 
— for the sinner. But, now he speaks of another 
"rest," a rest from all inward sin — for the con- 
verted man. 

Mrs. Edwards, wife of the noted New England 
divine, knew this sweet experience. Hear her: 
"In the house of God, so conscious was I of the 
joyful presence of the Holy Spirit, that I could 
scarcely refrain from leaping with transports of 
joy. My soul was filled and overwhelmed with 
light, and love, and joy in the Holy Ghost. ^ ^ * 
This exaltation of soul subsided into a heavenly 
calm and a rest of soul in God, which was even 
sweeter than what preceded it." It was this 



82 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

''heavenly calm'' and ''sweet rest'' of soul that 
made her that helpmeet indeed to her husband, 
Jonathan. And does not this fact account large- 
ly for her husband's success? [The testimonies 
cited are taken from "Perfect Love," by Dr. J. A. 
Wood, a most excellent and helpful book.] 

Now, from God's Word, and the experiences 
and testimonies of his "dear children" (Eph. 5 : 
i), we see that in essentials the experience of 
"entire sanctification" is a unit, but in detail 
there is diversity. It would be interesting to go 
on with a study of the other phases, but we must 
refrain. But, my dear reader, settle this one 
thing, you, if you ever get this sweet and pre- 
cious experience, will have one of your own. It 
may be a sense of great joy, of love, of purity, 
of power, of peace, or of something else. But, be 
you well assured, it will be the "satisfying por- 
tion" to your soul. Do not seek for the details 
of the experience, but seek the great experience 
itself ! Then, after you have fulfilled all the con- 
ditions, and God has given you a "great peace," 
or some other realization, recognize the blessing, 
and praise God for it. 



OF SANCTIFICATION 83 

CHAPTER XII. 

SANCTIFICATION— HOW KEPT. 

**Kept by the power of God through faith unto 
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."— 
I. Peter i : 5. 

The Bible very clearly reveals unto us that the 
human means, by which a person is preserved 
from sin, is faith. Of course, the real preserva- 
tive is the ''power of God.'' The Almighty pledges 
himself to ''keep" us. But, before we can be con- 
scious of this "keeping power," we must "have 
faith in God" (Mark 11 : 22). And, "blessed are 
they whose guard Omnipotence becomes !" 
[Whedon's Com.]. 

"Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, 

And looks to that alone; 
Laughs at impossibilities, 

And cries, 'It shall be done' !" 

"The life of holiness is eminently a life of faith. 
* * * It cannot continue a moment without 
faith; faith is its root and sap." [Christian Pur- 
ity, p. 261, Foster's.] Christ "is able to keep you 



84 WHi, WHEN AND HOW 

from falling, and to present you faultless before 
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" 
(Jude 24). In view of such a pledge, why not 
believe him? 

There are some things, however, connected 
with such a faith, which are really a part of it, 
perhaps we could call them, correlatives — very 
closely related. These stimulate and help us in 
our faith faculty. Let us note some of them. 

First, we would mention prayer. Unless a per- 
son has faith he will not pray ; and if he cannot 
pray in faith, he will receive no answer. It is 
easy, then, to see the close relation between prayer 
and faith. Hence, Jesus says : ''What things so- 
ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye re- 
ceive them, and ye shall have them'' (Mark 11: 
24). But, if like the Buddhist, we are praying 
''for nothing," "to nobody," we will surely get 
"nothing." 

Prayer, true and genuine, is*just as essential to 
the Christian, as air is for earthly physical life. 
The Apostle was not amiss when he said, "Pray 
without ceasing" (I. Thess. 5: 17). That is, 
keep so "in the love of God," that there will be a 
continual communion of the soul with God. A 
prayer ascending to the Father, and an answer 



OF SANCTIFICATION 85 

descending to the child, with a true consciousness 
that this is really so, O, what a blessed blood- 
bought privilege! 

The only possible barrier, to this sweet and glo- 
rious relation, is sin. If a person sins, his ''heart 
condemns." He does not have ''confidence," — 
faith. Hence, in the place of holy fellowship with 
the Father, there is an awful darkness of soul 
(See I. John 3: 20-22). When we sin, we are 
no longer "kept." But, whose is the fault? "Be- 
hold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it 
cannot save ; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot 
hear: But," note especially this conjunction and 
what follow^s ; "but your iniquities have separated 
between you and your God, and your sins have 
hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Is. 
59: I, 2). Here is Omnipotence pledged to an- 
swer prayer ; but if the eclipse of sin is over us, we 
cannot see God's face, and consequently^ there is 
no answer. 

But, while the Christian truly prays, not "says 
prayer^," he is "kept by the power of God." No 
person ever yet fell into sin that was much in 
prayer. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall 
renew their strength; they shall mount up with 
wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; 



86 WHY, WHIBN AND HOW 

and they shall walk, and not fainf' (Is. 40: 31). 
James Montgomery expresses the real truth : 

'Trayer is the Christian's vital breath, 

The Christian's native air, 
His watchword at the gates of death, 

He enters heaven with prayer." 

A second correlative is the study of the Bible. 
This is, over and above all things else, the souFs 
food. This, of course, feeds the faith faculty. 
The physical man would soon perish without 
food. So would the spiritual man also starve 
without the food 'which the loving, believing, 
prayerful, and reverent study of the Bible affords. 
To Timothy, St. Paul wrote: ''Study to show 
thyself approved unto God, a workman that need- 
eth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word 
of truth'' (H. Epis. 2: 15). This is as good ad- 
vice for us to-day. 

This study of the Bible is necessary for the 
student himself. In one of his Epistles, the Great 
Apostle says, There is danger of being ^'tossed to 
and fro, and carried about with every wind of 
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craf- 
tiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 
4: 14). From these inspired words, it becomes 



OF SANCTIFICATION 87 

apparent that every Christian needs the experi- 
ence inculcated — the ''fullness of Christ'' — and 
then needs to use every means of grace to save 
him from being ''deceived/' one of the most im- 
portant of which is the study of the Bible. As a 
person reads, and meditates, and prays over the 
Word of God, it strengthens him, it gives him 
prestige, it gives him vantage ground in the hour 
of temptation. It was by the Scriptures, through 
a correct understanding of Holy Writ, that our 
Savior gained the victory over Satan. (See Matt. 
4: 3-1 1). Can we improve on his method? Some 
portion of the Bible should be studied every day 
if you would be "kept." 

This study becomes necessary also because of 
others whom God will use to help in their Chris- 
tian experience. The truly sanctified Christian 
is always a source of help to all with whom he 
comes in contact, who will be helped. God has 
given us this precious legacy, not to consume it 
upon our lusts, but to be "a blessing." What 
David Updegraflf once said is really the language 
of every entirely sanctified Christian's heart, 
"Lord bless me, and make me a blessing." 

"Around me, Lord, are sinful men, 
Who scorn and disobey ; 



88 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

Use me to win them from their sins, 
And make me a blessing to-day/' 

This is the prayer of the heart. Surely, then, 
every means will be used to meet the highest pos- 
sible success. 

Just a word in regard to helps. One of the 
positive evidences that a person has received, and 
is enjoying, the experience of '^entire sanctifica- 
tion," is his love for the Bible, and books and 
magazines, which help him to a better under- 
standing of it. There are many such to-day. We 
ought to appreciate them. Every Christian, who 
has been sanctified wholly, will have a desire to 
read quite a good deal of holiness literature. Buy 
or borrow the best books. Take one or more of 
the best holiness papers. These will be food to 
your soul, and help you in your Bible study. 

A third correlative of faith is testimony. "Ye 
are my witnesses, saith the Lord" (Is. 43: 10). 
''Let the redeemed of the Lord say so" (Ps. 107: 
2). ''With the heart man believeth unto right- 
eousness ; and with the mouth confession is made 
unto salvation" (Rom. 10: 10). We are "kept 
by the power of God through faith ;" by believing 
what God has said to be true. He very plainly 

LofC. 



OF SANCTIFICATIOX 89 

teaches us, that Christian testimony is a duty. 
Then, no Christian can be ''kept,'' who will not 
obey God. In fact, when people habitually ''learn 
to keep silence," it is pretty sure evidence that 
there is no *'fire shut up in their bones" (Jer. 
20:9). 

Many a young convert has gone back into 
the world through neglect of this duty. And the 
same is true of many who have been sanctified 
wholly. There are circumstances and places 
which are not the most auspicious for such testi- 
mony ; but, if on this account, you refuse to "say 
what God wants you to say," it will not be long 
before the blessed experience will be gone ! 

We should be exceedingly careful to lovingly, 
humbly, and yet, plainly, declare what God has 
done for the soul. We should not be indefinite. 
Indefiniteness means death to this glorious state ! 
The language of Scripture cannot be improved 
on. Never mind if there is some prejudice. This 
is the best way to overcome it. Then, i^se scrip- 
tural terms. 

The saintly Fletcher lost this experience four 
or five times simply because of neglect to testify 
to it. His confession the last time he got back 
this "Pearl of Great Price," is on record. Here 



90 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

is a part of what he says : ''God is here ; I feel him 
in this place; but I would hide my face in the 
dust, because I have been ashamed to declare 
what he hath done for me. "^ * * Last Wed- 
nesday evening he spoke to me by these words: 
'Reckon yourselves therefore to be dead indeed 
unto sin, but alive unto God, through our Lord 
Jesus Christ' (Rom. 6: ii). I obeyed the voice 
of God, I now obey it; and I tell you all, to the 
praise of his love, I am free from sin. Yes, I re- 
joice to declare it, and to bear witness to the 
glory of his grace, that I am dead unto sin, and 
alive unto God, through Jesus Christ, who is my 
Lord and King. I received this blessing four or 
five times before, but I lost it by not observing the 
order of God, who has told us, 'With the heart 
man believeth ]into righteousness, and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation.' But 
the enemy offered his bait under various colors 
to keep me from a public declaration of what 
my Lord had wrought." He then tells us what 
this "bait" was. "Wait a while;" "Thou art a 
public character;" "How few even of the chil- 
dren of God will receive this testimony;" these 
were the suggestions of the Evil One. In sum- 
ming up his confession, he says : "Now, my breth- 



OF SAXCTIFIGATION 91 

ren, you see my folly ; I have confessed it in your 
presence; and now I resolve before you all to 
confess my Master; I will confess him to all the 
world; and I will declare unto you, in the pres- 
ence of the holy Trinity, I am now 'dead indeed 
unto sin.' '' [See Journal of Hester Ann Rogers, 
p. 134-137.] Let us learn this important lesson 
of testifying to all God has done for us from this 
holy man, as well as from the Holy Scriptures. 

Then, as a last correlative, depend implicitly 
upon the blood of Christ. ''They overcome by the 
blood of the Lamb'' (Rev. 12: 11). We must 
recognize the fact, in the blood of Jesus is our 
only hope. There is a tendency just now to de- 
preciate the atoning sacrifice. Whatever others 
may say or do, depend upon it, 

"The blood, the blood is all my plea." 

Not long since, after reading that beautiful and 
sublime hymn of Cowper, 

"There is a fountain filled with blood," 

a preacher said: 'T hope I shall never hear it 
sung again. It is indecorous, distasteful, and 
not fit to be used with refined people." How "re- 
fined" Satan and his followers can be ! But, the 



92 WHY, WHEN AND HOW 

theology of the saints of God is a ''blood theolo- 
gy." And, while the carnal man will depreciate 
the ''precious blood of Jesus'' (I. Peter i: 19), 
the true child of God will appreciate it! 

At times, the experience may not, and will not, 
be as exuberant as at others, then, be careful to 
trust, not in feeling, but in the blood of Jesus. 
If, at any time, you have apprehension of losing 
"faith;'' for we are "kept by the power of God 
through faith,'' then plunge again into the "foun- 
tain opened in the house of David for sin and un- 
cleanness" (Zech. 13: i). Let this be the prayer 
of your heart: 

"Deeper yet, deeper yet, 

Into the crimson flood ; 
Deeper yet, deeper yet, 

Under the precious blood." 

Through these correlatives of faith we are 
"kept by the power of God through faith unto 
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 
Prayer, study of the Bible, loving, honest testi- 
mony, and dependence upon the blood of Christ, 
will "keep" one in a blessed spiritual state, and 
"an abundant entrance into the everlasting king- 
dom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" will 
be administered unto us! (II. Peter i : 11), 



MAR 28 1904 



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